MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- The secretary of the Alabama Senate, McDowell Lee,
has decided to retire after 47 years in the position.

The 84-year-old Lee said he will step down after the Legislature's next
organizational session ends on Feb. 11, 2011.

Lee is the nation's longest serving legislative secretary. His many duties
include supervising the Senate's staff and advising senators on operating rules.
He got the job in 1963 after serving eight years in the Alabama House,
representing Barbour County. In the job, Lee usually sits beside the lieutenant
governor in the Senate chamber.